2016 Mercedes-Benz C-Class coupe spied drifting in Sweden

The next-generation Mercedes-Benz C-Class coupe has been spotted by our spy photographers during cold weather testing in northern Europe.

Despite the heavy use of camouflaging tape on the car’s body, it’s easy to see the similarities between the C-Class sedan and its forthcoming coupe cousin.

Up front, the photographed coupe wears the company’s sporty grille design with integrated three-pointed star. This is flanked by headlights that are similar to the units already employed on the C- and S-Class ranges.

Unlike the sedan, the coupe employs frameless door windows and, for the first time, features flagpole-style wing mirrors mounted to the door.

Compared to our earlier spy photos, the vehicle pictured here doesn’t wear as many additional false body panels to hide the rear-end design. The prototype’s tail-lights seem to mimic the S-Class coupe’s short and wide design.

That said, there’s still a small vestigial disguise hump mounted to the trailing edge of the new shapelier and more raked boot lid, which gives this prototype’s derriere the look of the E63 BMW 6 Series with its well known “Bangle butt”.

Our photography team, which caught the C-Class coupe on a frozen lake in Sweden’s north, believe that this car coupe could be an all-wheel drive variant.

The new C-Class coupe is expected to enter production towards the tail-end of 2015 and will likely go on sale here some time in 2016. The new coupe range will feature most of the petrol and diesel engines employed in the sedan lineup.